Where The Blades Fall
by Wol5fe
Summary: AU. Our heroes have fallen. Who must now take up the blades of our now dead heroes and continue on the quest of beating Sword Art Online? Rated T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

_**Floor 75**_

_*kat-chink*_

_"Heeyaaah!"_

_*Fwish*_

_*Clank*_

The fight rolled on like thunder. The three blades rained against each other endlessly; Two swords versus one. In terms of numbers, the black swordsman should have already held victory as his prize. Yet his opponent was never meant to falter. The monster he now faced was ruthless; singlehandedly murdering thousands of people trapped inside a sick and cruel world that he had created.

*_swoosh*_

_*Clang*_

_*thud*_

_*groan*_

The two men locked in combat slashed and roared, both attempting to destroy their opponent. Kirito, the one I called friend, the one Asuna called husband, and the one they called The Black Swordsman, threw every ounce of willpower and strength into every strike and counter-attack. The tension in the room was thick, but everyone looked on in admiration at the man who they knew would defeat the monster, Kayaba Akihiko. With each ring of metal on metal, victory came that much closer to Kirito.

*_rapt_*

*_crunch*_

_*fwuap*_

Swing after swing, parry after parry, Death was coming swift to the man in the red armor. A new round of bone breaking attacks slammed into the shield of the older man and slightly staggered him. The people looking onwards took and held a breath as they saw the unbreakable titan stumble beneath the hit of the smaller boy. Seeing the falter, The Black Swordsman took his advantage and lit up the most powerful sword skill any of us had ever seen.

Light burst from every place the boy's dual blades touched, yet Kayaba had recovered from his stumble and now deflected the blows with ease. I could see the sudden turn the battle had taken well before anyone else had the chance. I saw the look of achievement on the rotten pig's face as he saw Kirito's combo coming to a close, knowing that when it did, there would be just enough of a delay to finish Kirito off.

Seeing it all play out in my mind, I forced myself to push with all my strength against the paralysis effect that held us hostage. Focusing with all my might, I could feel the system pushing back, keeping me down, but I wouldn't surrender. Raising to a crouch, I slowly forced the paralysis back. But that's when I heard it. The sound of Kirito's sword smashing into Kayaba's shield and breaking.

I raised my head in horror, and I witnessed Kayaba's blade begin to fall in slow motion towards Kirito's fatigued figure. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another figure break out in a mad dash towards the two. It was Asuna! She must've also broken from the paralysis! I silently encouraged her brave move, rushing out to join Kirito in the fight. Yet once again, something was wrong. Her pace was too irregular, her eyes were too frantic. It was the look of someone already in mourning, yet also apologizing. I couldn't stop her. I understood what action she would take. Her rapier was not even in her hand as she sprinted up to Kayaba, her arms outstretched in a protective gesture, and caught his downward blow with her torso...

And then the world was silent...

(X)

Kirito, her chosen hero and dearest love, held her dying figure as tears streamed uncontrollably down both of their faces. He couldn't let her go. He tried to hold her closer, to keep her safe from the inevitable. But Death had indeed come, yet instead of finding the man in the red armor, his unmerciful grasp closed on the soul of the most precious. The splintering sound of shattering polygons echoed throughout the large cavern. They shimmered brightly as they floated off in a nonexistent wind, before disappearing altogether.

The world was silent once again...

(X)

no...

No...

NO!

I screamed it in my mind, though no sound escaped my lips. I fought harder to break the hold the paralysis had on me. I saw Kirito, broken and sobbing, swinging slowly and weakly at the demon who had slaughtered his wife. It was a pathetic sight, seeing him beaten down so low. I pushed further, and made it to one knee. I didn't need to look up to know that the fight was over. I understood the rage and fury had drained from Kirito who now stood straight with Kayaba's sword protruding from his stomach.

In a more glorious plot, Kirito, my bravest friend, would have taken the sword and plugged it back into Kayaba, or simply carried on with his attack, wounded. But this was not the case. He stumbled back from his opponent before coming to a halt and collapsing before me. I lifted him up onto my raised knee. I tried to speak softly to him, and even attempted to summon a health potion from my inventory, but with desperate fingers he opened a trade menu and deposited all of his and Asuna's shared inventory and closed the trade. With all the items now sent directly to my inventory, I watched his health bar sink into nothingness and he too exploded in a dazzling shower of shattered polygons...

The world was silent...

(X)

"RUUAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

With unworldly rage I shrugged off the forces that held me, breaking down the system that restricted my movements, and shattered the game engine itself as I burst from my crouch and tore up the ground with a flurry of motion. No human being in existence experienced the speed at which I reached my target. In one of his hands was a teleport crystal, in the other, the cursed blade that struck down two of my dearest friends. In blind fury I swept up Kirito's fallen Elucidator as well as Asuna's rapier and let my hands take over as they both brought the two swords down against the fiend, Kayaba Akihiko's hand.

_*KA-BOOM!*_

His wrist vaporized at the sheer force of the strike, and the teleport crystal rolled away across the ground.

"KEERRRAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!"

An upward slash to the head, then a horizontal cut to the waist. A back spin kick to his chest, and a dual plunge into the wicked man's gut. I stared into the monster's eyes as I drove the blades deeper into his abdomen. He stared back with a infernal blaze. Then, with one hand, he delivered a swift blow to my head which sent me hurtling backwards. I regained my feet slowly, the system still attempting to weigh me down with the paralysis still in effect. By the time I reached him again, Kayaba had summoned a second crystal and vanished in flurry of light.

He escaped!

HE ESCAPED!

HE! ESCAPED!

I slammed my fist down in rage at my failure. Each time I did, more tears came to my eyes. I had watched my friends die...And I couldn't do ANYTHING!

The world was silent...

(X)

Somewhere, across the border of reality and the virtual world, two innocent teenagers lay on hospital beds in seperate hospitals on two seperate sides of town. To anyone looking from the outside in, it would look as if they were sleeping. At both hospitals, a nurse comes in regularly to check their vitals. At both hospitals, an alarm rings suddenly as the green light on the front of both helmets attached to both teenagers' heads turns red. At both hospitals, doctors scramble frantically to resuscitate both teenagers as their heart monitors flatline. At both hospitals, a family mourns by the bedside of both young adults. Niether family will ever know that the one they mourn had shared a life with another whom they had never had the chance to meet in real life.

At both hospitals, a tragic love story comes to an end.

(X)

The paralysis wore off, but I remained still. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. All I could do was cry. I remember spending the last five minutes in vain, trying to use the crystal Kayaba had dropped to teleport directly to the 100th floor. I figured, if this was his crystal, it would still have admin permissions to go anywhere. In broken frustration, I slammed it to the ground, where it shattered on impact. I don't remember being dragged by Agil up to the 76th floor. I don't remember having a mental breakdown. I don't remember embracing Asuna and Kirito's swords. All I remember is running. I ran fast and hard. I deleted my entire friend list. I never wanted to be found. To the rest of the world, I was lost, and quite possibly dead.

It was two months until my return...

I am Klien, and I will have vengeance upon the man that murdered my friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, friends! This story was a shared idea between me and a recent Sword Art Online convert, whom I have developed a deep freindship with. So we decided to write this tale together; he writes the outline, and I piece it together (This also prevents us from taking full blame for killing or upsetting anyone :D). Anyway, full steam ahead!**

_**Floor 78**_

_"Just leave us alone!"_

A dark figure strolled slowly along the narrow cobblestone street, his steps quiet and his expression intense.

_"Taxation is a requirement for those under the protection of The Army!"_

Head swiveling back and forth, he slowly stalked his way towards the sounds of commotion.

_"You're not protecting anybody!"_

His pace quickened. The voices rose in volume as the distance between them was closed.

_"Failure to comply will result in your immediate arrest! From then on, we cannot guarantee your safety."_

Rounding the final corner, the scene came into view. The oppressing player wore the garb of a low level grunt, most likely sent by the Army as an initiation mission. Beneath the shadow of the Army thug, another player attempted to fend off the advancing threat.

_*Sssssssssnnk*_

The sound of a sword being slowly and dramatically pulled from its sheath went unnoticed as the brute stepped threateningly towards the defensive player, a girl of approximately 14.

_"You're all just greedy cowards!"_

The tension snapped as the grunt raised a large hand and swung it hard against the girl's face, her head spinning awkwardly. Springing from the shadows, the black clad warrior smashed his fist into the nose of the girl's attacker.

Shaking off the surprise blow, the guild member barely had the sense to stand up before another jab sent him sprawling backwards. Blinking hard, he looked up, and was met with a frightening face... My face. Holding the heavy, black sword to his throat, I spoke very clearly, and made sure no word was left misunderstood.

"Do you know whose sword this is?"

Silence. The man looked from me, to the child shrinking behind me, to the sword in question.

"Huh," he finally asked.

"This sword," I replied, giving it a testing wave. "Do you know whose it is?"

"I-I don't know what you mea-"

"DO. YOU. KNOW. WHOSE. SWORD. THIS. IS!?" I shouted at him, and his eyes widened even more as he attempted in vain to identify the black blade.

"N-n-no! I have no idea! Just calm down, man." While we were still standing within the safe zone, I do not think it went unnoticed that I would not hesitate to drag him out of it. To him, I was just a bat-wild phsyco with burning eyes and a fierce scowl. I dropped my volume to a low, but easily threatening whisper.

"In my hand is the fallen sword of a very, _very _dear friend of mine. He was a true hero. He was the one who actually got up off his high horse, and did the so called 'protecting' you thugs claim to do. Every single string of BS that you spit is an insult to his name." Keeping him prone on the ground, I removed the edge from his neck and slid it into its sheath on my back. I quickly replaced its position with a pale blue rapier, it's tip pricking the bottom of his chin.

"Now, do you know whose sword _this _is?" I got an immediate shake of the head. "This is the fallen sword of the one whose name you insult every single time you think of the word 'safety.' Now, you're going stand up, and you are going to run back to your headquarters with your tail between your legs. When you get there, you are going to fall on the ground and insist that your guild disbands; because if it isn't by the time the sun sets, I will shake hands with every single member at the end of both these blades. Do you understand?" The man was kicking up a trail of dust before I even sheathed the rapier...

Asuna's rapier...

A silvery tear fell slowly down one cheek as I remembered her, and then my chest suddenly shook as I remembered Kirito's face as he stared up at me before leaving this world forever. Before I knew it I was on my knees, crying into the hands that wielded their swords. It had been two months since I watched their brutal murder. I did not deserve to be alive. I should not have survived this long. If given the choice, I would sacrifice my own life thousands of times over in exchange for their's. They were the ones that were destined to beat this game, hand in hand.

I collapsed on the ground, thankful no one could see my vulnerability; the girl had run off long ago. I lay there, contemplating for the thousandth time the freedom of ending my misery, right here and now. Yet I was interrupted as normal by Kirito's encouraging words. I could almost feel his hand on my shoulder, lifting me off the ground.

_Survive until the end, please. _

At the time, it was mostly a passing comment. Now, it held the same weight as one would treat a passing reletive's final wishes. I squared my shoulders and started back down the cobblestone path. A lot has changed within the 2 months since my disappearance. I've become stronger; my level now read 110. I was no longer the sappy, lovesick puppy that I used to be. The armor I now wore was a direct reflection of that fact. It's inky black scales gleamed and a tinge of red could be detected somewhere mixed in with it.

Complete with a short, dark maroon cape, the Phase II Dragonite armor set, complete with face-concealing helm, was nothing particularly significant. It's armor rating was far superior than that of most player smithed armors. However, the color and style were primarily the only thing it had going for it. It was a light piece, and didn't offer much protection if I got into an encounter with anything. But again, I didn't wear it for practicality. In a way, it was a reflection of Kirito's garb. Turning my mind away from those thoughts, I looked up to the two stone guard towers I had approached. Without a second thought, I entered the cave entrance that led into the labyrinth.

It was dark originally, and it took several seconds for my vision to adjust. I travelled onward down a rocky cave pass that eventually ended in a large, round cavern. Not ready to fall for such an easy and cliche ambush, I drew the hefty Elucidator from its sheath across my back. Just as predicted, the second I stepped foot into the open space, crystals spaced around the room illuminated the darkness as three Iron Salamanders dropped from the ceiling. Normally there would be higher level monsters waiting in the open expanse, this room had a,ready been cleared once before? I was just playing catchup. These salamanders were normal mobs that respawned after a certain timeframe had passed; nothing like the ones that would have been waiting.

Dispatching the fiends almost lazily, I carried on towards where the boss room was located on the map. I encountered a few pairs of random mobs, but none of them were too significant, and most died without the need or use of a single sword skill. After a while, I just started sneaking past them instead of bothering to waste the time it took to eliminate them.

There was one good thing about this armor; whoever wore it was given an additional 100 points of stealth to your already existing stats. Having leveled my stealth considerably in order to go unseen for my 2 months in self exilation, good ole' Phase II Dragonite allowed me to be virtually invisible unless I was in direct line-of-sight. The lower mobs stood no chance of detecting me.

Checking the map once again, I noted my position was three fourths of the way from the Boss room; however, checking the clock, I had to hurry if I was to make it in time. This floor's boss door was only open for a few minutes before closing for an hour. I quickened my pace, not willing to be left out after going through this dungeon. I travelled the remaining distance within a minute, and soon the large door was in sight-

_No!_

I was too late! The door had already shut. Great, another hour before it opens again. I sat down and checked the clock to confirm my tardiness.

_Huh? I'm still two minutes early. The door shouldn't be-_

Was that a scream? There was no denying it. There was definitely a stream just then, which means... there was someone already in there! Choosing a blade, the black Elucidator once again, I pushed against the door and felt it budge. Apparently, the timed lock did not apply if a fight was in progress, thankfully.

I was given only a couple seconds to size up the situation (pun intended). The half ape, monstrosity was over 20 feet tall, with scyth-like claws the size of cattle, and complete with a massive reptilian head. The attacking guild must have been there for awhile; many of the members HP bars were in the dangerous red and yellow ranges. The boss had only one bar left but a little more than at the halfway mark. The door was wrenched from my hand and was slammed shut by an invisible force as I stepped into the agro range of the incredible beast. At the arrival of a newcomer, the attention of the boss was immediately drawn to the door, and unfortunately my stealth skill did nothing against its piercing gaze. With its eyes trained on me, it's name pipped up above his head.

The Half Hunter, whilst distracted by my presence, was buffeted on all sides by a regrouped assault of battle-raged players. The HP of the boss dropped dramaticly, and it was forced to reassert its focus on the larger group. Seeing an opportunity, I sprinted into the arena, which I noted to be a large sand pit, with the door from which I entered set upon a raised dias. With the creature's back turned, I joined the attack, drawing the rapier from my belt.

I dove under the colossal, reptilian tail of the beast and laid a triple hit combo across it's legs. The combined force of the unceasing blows to every inch of its body, the boss collaped onto into a kneeling position. The guild retreated to heal up and regroup once again, but not me. I foolishly pressed the advantage. I dodged a large clawed swipe and drove the blade into its heart. The beast roared and sank lower into a defeated position. With the monster in a crippled state, I was sure that only a few more hits would bring it down to zero. I was wrong.

In a moment of recovery, the boss' special event was activated, and the eyes of the monster changed from red to ice blue. Materializing in its hand, a titanic halberd glowed softly before a black hue settled into its complete state. The boss roared, and sickly yellow smoke poured from its open jaws. Before I had the ability to retreat, I was slammed down to the ground with a heavy and formidable strike to my entire being by the black halberd. Even worse, it was a 7-hit combo move, and I was an easy target sitting in midair. The world went black

(X)

I awoke from a collapsed state to two faces peering down at me; one was a dark bronze color, the other was pale white with golden teeth. I didn't think much of it until I recognized the bronze one. I desperately tried to hide my own face, and tried to divert my eyes elsewhere in the room. But the room was empty.

_Huh!?_

The beast was gone! I scrambled to my feet, trying to locate the Half Hunter. Sure enough, it had been vanquished while I had been out; I cursed myself silently for being so weak. I noted a few more things, like the missing of four people from what I had counted to be twenty. Second, my health bar was in a red zone that I had not seen so deep in over a year and a half. I hastily drank a health potion, plus a regeneration potion. Third, everyone in the room still had their swords drawn, and their eyes were all locked on me.

There was a definite tension in the room as everyone stared with mixed intent at the weird black-clad man who had joined their fray out of the blue. Then, from behind the crowd, the face I had recognized made his way to the front and stood with his battle axe in a readied position. Agil spoke, but it was not with the friendly bark I had remembered. This new Agil held the tone of someone of authority, and with it, a tone of menace.

"Where did you get that?" He said it in such a threatening way, I overlooked the complete vauguity of the phrase.

"Got what," I said, refraining from using his name so as to keep my own identity to myself. I was foolish enough to have stumbled into this situation in the first place.

"That sword. Where did you get it?" He shifted his gaze to the Elucidator on my back.

"...a friend..."

"Interesting," he countered, "and what about this one?" In his other hand, Agil held up the pale blue rapier I must have dropped when I collapsed. I didn't respond.

"I know only three people who have ever held these blades before. Two of them I watched die, and the other died awhile later. So let me rephrase my question..." He stepped closer and raised his axe. "How long has it been since you killed my friend?"

Everything clicked at that moment. I had run away. I had deleted my entire friends list so no one could find me on the map. To the world, I had died a long time ago. I truly felt for Agil. He was grieving after finding out that another one of his friends had died. Still, not only that, he thought I had been murdered. That explains the drawn swords and the readied stances; he was going to avenge the death of his lost fallen comrade. I smiled for the first time in two months.

"I am honored by your actions, Agil." There was a voice of confusion as the stranger spoke thier leader's name. "However, your friend was not killed by my hands." I opened my menu and similarity my inventory. I removed the masked helm from my avatar, and my face came into full view. Agil's eyes locked with mine as they widened in shock and surprise. I could see the start of a small tear.

"I'm still here buddy."

(X)

**Author's note: Whoa! This is the longest chapter yet in any of my stories! Sweet! Disclaimer: We, my co-writer and I, do not plan on using the cannon (Hollow Fragment) bosses and floors for this story. Everything from floor 76 and on is free game for us. Trust me, this is for the better. It will allow us to surprise you and make for a more interesting story. Love you all dearly, and may the Force be with you! (Wrong series!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Floor 79**

The Tri-Roof Tavern and Inn must have been programmed to look well used and musty. After defeating the boss, Agil practically dragged me directly to the first tavern he saw so we could catch up. It's dusty interior evoked a warm, homely feeling, and the cold beverage in my hand only added to it.

"Alright, spill it," Agil said after waiting several minutes for me to speak without provocation. "What's there to talk about," I replied, to which he looked me dead in the eyes with a glare he must have practiced several times over.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything," I finally gave in, "but first you have to tell me _your _story." Agil was visibly displeased with my constant resistance.

"Well, after you abandoned the rest of us," he fixed me with another glare, "the rest of us had to fend for ourselves. With their leader gone, the Knights of the Blood Oath started to fall apart rapidly. Some broke off into small guilds, while some tried to keep it intact. Those who were most loyal to Healthcl-, I mean Kayaba," my fists clenched at the name, "were practically lynched. Almost everybody thought they were in on it, that they had help him deceive them, or that they were game admins themselves and were the ones keeping the players trapped.

"The theories kept piling up and piling up until someone attempted to take order by declaring themselves the new guild leader. That only made matters worse as others tried to take over as well, thinking they were more suited to lead the masses. From there, like I said, everything came to ruin." I listened intently, even though I already knew most of this information. I had been in hiding, but I wasn't a hermit. I still read the news files and knew what was going on...partially. I turned down the idea to remind Agil of this fact, and instead resorted something that would get him on track. "So what does all this have to do with you," I asked.

"I rounded up the majority of those that had stayed, and as many of those that would come back, and reformed them into a new guild, led by me."

I chuckled slightly. "Really? You started a guild?" I had never pictured Agil to be the leading role model type. "What about your trading shop?"

"I had to give it up. Since the Knights were the main front line guild, progress was slowing down. After, I led them through the 77th boss, it was an almost unanimous vote that I be elected the new guild leader." He paused and looked down at his drink. "I couldn't stand to keep the name though. There was too much bad blood mixed in. So we took another vote, and the desk ion to change it came out 38 to 12. Hence forth, I declared us The Black Swordsmen." He took another pause.

_The Black Swordsmen, huh? Not as catchy as Knights of the Blood Oath, _I thought to myself. I did, however, deeply appreciate the reference to our mutual friend. "It's a good name," I said.

"I figured it would be like an entire eulogy wrapped up into one name. It was all I could do to honor Kirito." I nodded my head slowly. "It's a good name," I said again. We had an involuntary moment of silence for our fallen friends before Agil indicated it was my turn to share.

"First off, can I asked you a question," I inquired.

There was a brief sigh. "If it will make you talk, go for it."

"When you saw me, you thought I was dead, and that I stole these swords from...myself." Agil nodded but said nothing. "So my question is, why didn't you know if I was dead or not?" Seeing his blank stare, I elaborated further.

"There is a wall in the town of beginnings that lists all those that have died so far. Did you never check?" Understanding took hold of him, and he shook his head.

"No. I never dared to look. I went there once and saw _their _names," I nodded my own understanding. I had also ventured to the wall once and saw their names imprinted upon the surface. It was almost sacrilegious to see them clumped together with all the rest as if they weren't significant in any way. "After that, I couldn't bare the thought of going there again and seeing your name somewhere along the list. Once I saw you at the fight, I almost broke down completely. One of the men had to hold me back at one point. I was so enraged that I was about to finish you off while you were passed out." I gave a quick and silent thankyou to whoever had held him back.

With the answer to my question given, I started from the beginning. I was surprised at how little I had done within the two months I was missing. Most of my stories were close encounters with high level mobs and insignificant quests. Like I said before, there really wasn't much to tell. I was in the middle of the story of the army grunt right before the last boss, when suddenly a player burst into the shop and rushed straight up to Agil and saluted. I paused, and looked him up and down.

The player was obviously from the guild Agil commanded, his armor being the same dark green and black uniform the man interrupting us wore. He looked at me and chose to whisper whatever he had to say to Agil instead of saying it out loud. I was slightly offended, but more so with the intrusion than the disrespect. I leaned back in my chair and waited for him to finish.

Agil's eyes widened, and he looked from the peon to me. He dismissed him with a wave of his hand and spoke to me. "A scouting party just discovered the location of the next boss!"

_What!? Already? Sure, the floors are getting smaller and smaller with each one we go up, and therefore the dungeons are easier to find, but surely this discovery is impossibly premature. _

"What," I said out loud. "How is that possible?"

"Ahem, sir." It was the interloper who now spoke, both to me and Agil. "The scouting party has... Uh... 'requested' your presence at the boss."

(X)

It took us only a few minutes to reach the coordinates given to us. It was obvious why it was found so fast; the entrance was as inconspicuous as someone wearing pink at a black and white ball. The dungeon was inside a giant ivory tower located in the middle of the forest directly outside the town. The single steeple poked out from above the treeline and could be seen from anywhere within the woods.

The entire way up was completely devoid of any hostile resistance and we made it to the doors within another few minutes. Standing in front were two men, both wearing the uniform of The Black Swordsmen. One guy I recognized from the last fight, the other was completely unfamiliar. Agil greeted them both and they stepped forward.

"Sir. It's definitely the boss, no doubt about it," the first man assured us.

"Have you looked inside," Agil inquired. I already started preparing my gear and readied a couple health pots and handed a teleport crystal to Agil. I assumed the other two had some for themselves, being a scouting party and all.

"No, sir." I nodded. Normally, I would question how they knew it was the boss when they hadn't even been inside, but it was at the top of the floor with giant oak doors inlaid with gold. It wasn't hard to discern.

"Well, as long as we are here, might as well take a look." Agil opened his menu and summoned his giant battle axe. We all held our teleport crystals in one hand and the second man slowly pushed open the door...

...

...

We crept into the room, but there was nothing there. The absence of the assumed boss completely distracted my mind from the absence of the other figure. The first man was not with us. Realizing this, I spun around and found him still in the doorway. We were standing well within the center of the large room, but I could see his sharp features curl into a cruel smile. My eyes widened as realization slapped me in the face.

I called out to Agil and sprinted towards the door as the man slammed it shut, leaving us three stranded within the boss room with no way out. As the door locks clicked, fires spread out from the edge of the circular room, surrounding us and keeping me from getting to the door. Turning around, I looked about the room.

Statues were littered everywhere, all looking the same. At the far wall, a similar statue towered above the rest. As my gaze landed upon its face, it's eyes lit up, and the stone slowly fell away from the wall, revealing the creature beneath it.

We were trapped.

(X)

**Author's Note: yes, I know this chapter is late. **


	4. Chapter 4

**My co-writer has decided to hand me the reigns for this chapter and simply go wild. Yay! Y'all know what that means? Muahahahaha...**

"Oh god! Oh god we are gonna die!" I looked over my shoulder and saw the young man, who had been partnered with the other, panicking after his eyes stared up in horror at the beast emerging from the enclave the statue left. "Please," he began to beat upon the door, "let me out! This isn't funny! Please! Oh god, I don't want to die! PLEASE!"

"Son!" We both turned to see Agil standing firm, his expression neutral and his mind visually shifted into battle mode. "He ain't coming back! Focus on what you can do right now," he encouraged. But it fell on deaf ears.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was just supposed to be a normal scouting mission! It wasn't supposed to be end like this! PLEASE LET ME OUT!" The poor sap was frantically clawing at the door now, tears in his eyes as he begged for the safety of the other side it. I checked back to the progress the boss was making.

The stone had started crumbling steadily, though slowly, from the top of his head. It's progress had made its way to the center of the chest. Frustrated, I yanked the sobbing adolescent from the door and threw him down in front of me. I crouched down and placed a hefty hand on his shoulder. "Listen. You are not going to die. You are going to fight and then you are going to see the light of day. Do you understand?" The boy nodded, the frantic stare remaining regardless;

the kid basically looked like a deer in the headlights. "Now I need you to pay attention. Can you do that for me?" Another nod. "Good. Now listen up," I hesitated with what I was about to say next. "I need you to keep its attention on you. You are going to play bait-" the kid went wild again, throwing up his hands and screaming again.

"No! I can't do it! Please not me! I want to live! Please no!"

"Shush! You need to do this. You need to pick your sorry ass off the ground and be brave for once!" I was getting real tired of this squabbling child. "As he is aggro'd on you, you are going to monitor its move-sets. You will tell us what to look out for, understand? We are going to protect you. We will deflect the hits, you just have to tell us which ones are coming, got it?" The young man regained his composure and once again nodded. Just in time, too. The crumbling stone had just surpassed the ankles of the beast. Where it had been motionless before, the thing now made large and grandiose sweeps with a giant, double bladed staff.

We all stood up and took fighting positions, ready to dart in and attack any available weak spot. Each person waiting in agonizing silence, we watched as stone by falling stone, the creature was released from its crumbling prison. Each stone was a second of breath held, up until the final one fell, disappeared, and the boss stepped forth.

(X)

A large roar from the beast shook the statues loose, and several miniature goblin-esque creatures popped into existence. Instantly we were rushed on all sides by a wave of dagger strikes and jabs. Agil cleaved his axe down, the AOE skill splitting the tide and throwing the mobs backwards, some dying upon impact with the ground. A few jumped into the air, but were cut down instantly by the helicopter blade of the boy's spear. With Agil and the boy forming the front line defense, I swept out to the sides with both swords, jabbing left and right with the pale rapier. I looked up one moment to see the boss standing still, his sweeping motions continuing, but his feet rooted in place.

_This means that once we finish these lower mobs off, it will be his turn to attack _I thought. This gave me an idea. These mobs are weak, and while the dagger thrusts hurt, we did not sustain any damage from one single strike. It was the tidal wave of multiple stabs that brought us down. If we left one alive, one could keep it at bay while the other two took the time to heal and reorganize. It may also buy us precious time. I quickly relayed the instructions to Agil and the kid, and they nodded their approval. Agil activated another AOE skill, collapsing the relentless foes' numbers by three fourths. I took care of the rest, save one. I simply parried the dagger of the approaching goblin lackadaisically, allowing Agil and the young man to rest. Seeing Agil already prepared, I call switch and I leapt back, his fists taking the place of the rapier's point. After a few seconds, we were ready to go. Agil nodded, took the imp by it's head, and flung it against the ground, it's body erupting into shattered fractals.

At the precise moment of destruction, the demonic boss' eyes flared and its name, Bulwark the Scavenger, displayed above its head. When it finally began its approach towards us, the boy ran to the side, and as predicted, the beast was instantly aggro'd to him. We rushed up beside him and caught the first blow, an overhead sweep, with crossed blades. The boy, as was his appointed duty, marked the action verbally and committed it to memory. He did so twice more with a staggering vertical strike and an underhand stab. Three more random slashes were added until the set finally started over again. With each hit, the kid would relay the attack to prepare for next. We would dutifully comply, and the second we parried the boss' blade, he would rush in and let off a few combos before retreating once more.

It was fairly smooth going. Soon, we all had the pattern memorized. Overhead sweep, vertical strike, underhand stab, horizontal slash, double backhand, rinse and repeat. Occasionally, the boss would leap back and summon his goblin minions once again, but they were cleared out without much difficulty. It was during one of these goblin skirmishes that everything went wrong.

(X)

"Guys, look! It's a door!" I looked over my shoulder and saw the kid pointing to a small, wooden door at the end of the room, hidden inside the enclosure that once held the boss. Obviously it would not open until the boss was dispatched, but the ignorant young man was already halfway across the room before I could catch him, breaking our formation. Everything went into slow motion.

I could see hope swelling up in his eyes as he turned away, thoughts of a quick escape evident. I could see Agil turning for an attempt to grab him. Then I saw the boss turn as well. I watched in petrification as the monster leapt into the air, cutting the man's path short, and driving the pole's blade straight down through the top of the boy's skull, it's tip passing all the way through his body and coming out the bottom of his pelvis. Bulwark the Scavenger claimed his first victim, who shattered into millions of polygons before the disbelief could fade from his eyes.

(X)

Mie University Hospital. 12:27 pm.

Within the first day of the SAO launch, Mie University Hospital had a record of 12 individuals checked in, each with the infamous grey helmet securely fastened to their heads. Since then, 8 of those victims were officially released from the hospital, their care and treatment no longer of any use.

Now, as of this date, the nurses were met with an all too familiar, yet all the more tragic, dull whining of a heart monitor, whose purpose was now redundant as well. Nurses and doctors alike rushed into the room of a young Kayo Morubishi, checking vital signs before declaring the time of death. The blood red glimmer of the head gear seemed to laugh maniacally at the expense of the parents who wept and pleaded for their only son to wake up, until the machine was unplugged and the light faded forever. An hour later, the family signed the consent form and the body was freed from the care of the doctors. With his death, the boy only bought concern for the other remaining 3 children's parents and family.

(X)

**Author's Note: just for future reference, you should come to rue the days I get to write a chapter on my own. Muahahaha, killing characters is fun, and the feels that come after are delightful. Anyway, I think this "hospital death scene" is going to become a thing. I like the additional background, that these players really do die once you see them disappear from the game. Then again, I don't want it to get old, so I'll let you guys decide. Hospital scene or no hospital scene. Leave your answers in a review. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

Guys, I'm sorry. I know there's a few of you that truly desire for this story to continue. Truthfully, I desire for this story to continue as well, which is why I have not deleted this story as of yet. However, I am unsure if I will ever take up the metaphorical pen for the continuation of this tale. I love the concept, and I would like to see more of it from myself or even another author at some point down the road, but it would appear that I have written myself into a corner I cannot escape from. If you have suggestions for this story, message me! It most certainly will not hurt the chance of it returning to life at some point in the future.

For now, that is all. In the meantime, take a look at my most recent tragedy, Hatred's Embers. It's a good story that will reflect my improvement in writing as much as it will give you satisfaction in awesome futuristic fight scenes and drama.


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh, hello there. It's been awhile. If it wasn't for a particular, very eager guest review, I probably would have let this story die. I guess it was unfair to leave you guys so abruptly, so with no further explanation, let us continue. **

"NOOOO!" Agil watched in horror as the poor soul was swept out of existence. Shaking with grief induced rage, the giant man charged the murderous chimaera. With the beast's staff a quarter foot deep into the ground, it gave Agil just enough moments of time to land a hefty blow to the creature's forearm. However, with the axe skill now passed, it was his turn to have a few moments of immobilization, and the beast was now free.

Unsticking myself from the spot, I rushed forward at full sprint, drawing the elucidator and sheathing the rapier to catch the blow from the horizontal swing. Even with the black blade being as strong and high level as it is, the strike still collapsed my legs and threw me backwards a couple of feet. Then, the battle was in full sway, yet again. I ducked the initial overhead sweep, springing up with augmented agility and into the eyes of the demonic figure. Once more switching weapons, the pale rapier glowed for a split second before unleashing an uncontrollable volley of strikes to the creature's defenseless pupils. The effect was literally stunning; the beast reeled back, clutching it's blinded face. Elucidator in hand once more, a triple combo sword skill ripped large chunks out of the boss's thigh and health bar as I descended from my leap. The beast stomped its staff and feet simultaneously and again the swarms of goblins spawned by the dozens. All the while, Agil knelt where he had stood unmoving save for the heavy sobs that wracked his body.

"Get up," I shouted. "We don't have time for this!" Still, no response. I hadn't taken into consideration that the boy could have been close to the hulking man. To me, however depressing or offensive it might be to admit, his was just another sickening death in this world of demise. I couldn't rouse him from his grief, so instead I spent the next minute obliterating the gremlin tidal wave singlehandedly; all save for one. A paralysis dart kept it in place as I rushed to console Agil.

"I know, man, I know. It's hard. But we gotta get through this or else he died in vain-"

"He already died in vain!" I was taken aback by the emotion spilling out of his words as he swept my offered hand aside.

"That may be so, but that's no reason to join him." To this he was silent, but made no move to continue the fight, and I knew already that the paralysis effect would wear off soon.

"He had a name," Agil said after another agonizing second.

"And his will be found next to yours if you don't get a move on." A flare of burning anger scorched my soul when he suddenly turned to look at me. Ok, maybe that was a bit insensitive.

"...what was his name?"

"It doesn't matter." Mentally I was screaming 'then let's freakin get in gear' but I also deeply felt for him. Just earlier I had beaten up an army peon over the names of our fallen friends. Names were important.

"We will give him the military honor he deserves. He won't be remembered for his cowardice." Ouch, also insensitive, but it seemed to get through to him. At least he was standing up; and not a moment too soon as the goblin managed to finally pick itself off the ground and fling its body haphazardly in our direction in a futile attempt to surprise us. Agil's axe split its plan and head wide open. An inaudible sigh of relief segued us into the final stretch of the fight.

(X)

Two extra goblin swarms before another rounds of the attack pattern, and then the boss was finished. I disabled its feet while Agil rose up and dealt the final blow to its skull in a powerful downward strike that took him through from the creature's crown, all the way down to its navel. The victory prize went to Agil, though I would have surrendered it to him anyway. A very thick and battle worthy fur coat now draped over his shoulders, somehow increasing his perceived size greatly. A wolf's head resting on the right shoulder in a sort of paldron-esc fashion, two circular plates adorned the left with a crisscrossing leather strap connecting the open ends of the coat together at the waist. The entire thing was studded with metal rivets, giving it a similar texture of chainmail. Very fitting for a man as broad as he was. But for now, it served only as a shock blanket for someone in grief.

I quietly led him out of the cavern and out through the next floor's teleport gate. A stone bench was situated close by, and I led him over to it and sat him down. He never took his eyes off the cobblestone ground. Having nothing further to say, and finding no more help in my presence, I dismissed myself and went my own way to explore the new layer of Aincrad.

(X)

The entire floor seemed to be a giant forest and glade, with meadows dotted throughout. The only buildings were carved into the trees or built into the hills or atop the tall branches. It felt comforting and quiet; a place of meditation. This was somewhere I had needed to go for a long time. For the first time, I thought about even buying one of the tree-loft houses. If we never showed up on the previous floor, it would take a while before people realized the next floor was open, giving me a long break from the noise and drama of people in general. But Agil had responsibilities to his guild, and I knew the man would return momentarily to regain control of it, as well as undoubtedly lay waste to the evil member who betrayed us and ultimately got someone killed. I don't want to be there when that scuffle goes down. Then, with the return of the guild leader, people would learn that the boss had been cleared, and my peace and tranquility would be cut short…

Guess I had better start house shopping now before they are all taken.

(X)

**Author's Note: umm...yeah...remember that last chapter where I said I wouldn't continue this story? Well that's still in effect. Sorry to get your hopes up, but I've had the first part of this chapter In a google docs page for a long time and I felt it was overdue to finish it and post it. At least give it some closure. Once I get a direction for this story, I'll update it, but not until then. Stay cool guys. Read my other works and send me suggestions. Love you all!**


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